Lynn Haven to adopt code magistrate

Published: Monday, March 25, 2013 at 05:54 PM.

Once the owner is determined, the case goes through the code enforcement process and could go before the magistrate, though it rarely does, according to city officials.

“Out of 20 code enforcement issues perhaps one would go before the magistrate,” said Chief David Messer of Lynn Haven Police. “Usually the wife wants it done and the husband hasn’t gotten around to doing whatever it is and those fix themselves.”

Two lawyers, Al Stopka and Curtis McNeil, will be the magistrates and be paid $175 for each hearing. Messer said there are a fwe reports that officers are looking at bringing before the magistrate and the city is again ready to start having hearings.

“You don’t want a house that looks like ‘Sanford and Son’ next to yours,” Messer said.

LYNN HAVEN — Residents soon will have a code enforcement magistrate for the first time.

Commissioners discussed the need for an individual to enforce code violations within city limits during the March 5 city meeting.

“We are going to bring some of those folks before the magistrate,” Mayor Walter Kelley during the meeting. “Because we want all those yards cleaned up.”

The city previously had a code enforcement board consisting of seven seats filled by volunteers. The number dropped below five members, the minimum amount, in 2012, and since then the city has been taking steps to have a magistrate in place to determine nuisance cases.

The process for reporting a potential code violation is to call a code enforcement officer, and the officer will come out, determine if there is a violation, write up a citation if warranted and find the owner.

“There has been a problem recently with a lot of owners who are going through foreclosures,” said city attorney Rob Jackson. “In some cases the bank owns the property and it takes some time to find out who the owner is.”

Once the owner is determined, the case goes through the code enforcement process and could go before the magistrate, though it rarely does, according to city officials.

“Out of 20 code enforcement issues perhaps one would go before the magistrate,” said Chief David Messer of Lynn Haven Police. “Usually the wife wants it done and the husband hasn’t gotten around to doing whatever it is and those fix themselves.”

Two lawyers, Al Stopka and Curtis McNeil, will be the magistrates and be paid $175 for each hearing. Messer said there are a fwe reports that officers are looking at bringing before the magistrate and the city is again ready to start having hearings.

“You don’t want a house that looks like ‘Sanford and Son’ next to yours,” Messer said.